1. Field of the Invention
The technical field of the present invention relates generally to acquisition of data concerning servicing hydrocarbon wells and more specifically to an instrumented, computerized work over rig adapted to record and transmit data concerning well servicing activities and conditions at a well site.
2. Description of the Related Art
After a well has been drilled, it must be completed before it can produce gas or oil. Once completed, a variety of events may occur to the formation, the well and its equipment that requires a “work-over.” For purposes of this application, “work-over” and “service” operations are used in their very broadest sense to refer to any and all activities performed on or for a well to repair or rehabilitate the well, and also includes activities to shut in or cap the well. Generally, work over operations include such things as replacing worn or damaged parts (e.g., a pump, sucker rods, tubing, and packer glands), applying secondary or tertiary recovery techniques, such as chemical or hot oil treatments, cementing the well bore, and logging the well bore to name just a few. Service operations are usually performed by or involve a mobile work-over rig that is adapted to, among other things, pull the well tubing or rods and also to run the tubing or rods back in. Typically, these mobile service rigs are motor vehicle-based and have an extendible, jack-up derrick complete with draw works and block. In addition to the service or work-over rig, additional service companies and equipment may be involved to provide specialize operations. Examples of such specialized services includes: a chemical tanker, a cementing truck or trailer, a well logging truck, perforating truck, and a hot-oiler truck or trailer.
It is conventional for a well owner to contract with a service company to provide all or a portion of the necessary work-over operations. For example, a well owner, or customer, may contract with a work-over rig provider to pull the tubing from a specific well, contract with one or more service providers to provide other specific services in conjunction with the work-over rig company so that the well can be rehabilitated according to the owner's direction.
It is typical for the well owner to receive individual invoices for services rendered from each company that was involved in the work over. For example, if the portable work-over rig spent 30 hours at the well site, the customer well owner will be billed for 30 rig hours at the prevailing hourly rate. The customer is rarely provided any detail on this bill as to when the various other individual operations were started or completed, or how much material was used. Occasionally, the customer might be supplied with handwritten notes from the rig operator, but such is the exception, not the rule. Similarly, the customer will receive invoices from the other service companies that were involved with working over the well. The customer is often left with little to no indication of whether the service operation for which it is billed were done properly, and in some cases, even done at all. Further, most well owners own more than one well in a given field and the invoices from the various companies may confuse the well name with the services rendered. Also, if an accident or some other notable incident occurs at the well site during a service operation, it may be difficult to determine the root cause or who was involved because there is rarely any documentation of what actually went on at the well site. Of course, a well owner can have one of his agents at the well site to monitor the work-over operations and report back to the owner, but such “hands-on” reporting is often times prohibitively expensive.
The present invention is directed to ameliorating these and other problems associated with oil well work-over operations.